Zoom is “smarter” than it has ever been.

As leaders prepare long-term remote work strategies, conference calls and webinars on Zoom will have a live captioning released by Otter.ai. 🖥️

This new update will make virtual meetings for remote workers more efficient- allowing you to not only hear people but see what they are saying spelled out in front of you.

Zoom 🖥️ has become essential as people and organizations come to grips with stay-at-home orders. This captioning capability has been available in beta mode and used at the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre for 7 months.

There is a diverse set of individuals in the world, including those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, who will benefit from this update.

Now, Zoom gives increased accessibility to each person using their service. Accessibility isn’t about simply providing a monitor or using an auto-captioning service- it’s a wrap-around service that enables the employee to provide the best service for their employer.

Managers should leverage collaboration tools to improve employee engagement and assess how they can help improve employees’ home/work environment.

Ransomware is getting smarter by the week- posing threats to enterprises deleting victim’s backups.

A common tactic for ransomware is to delete copies of files that Windows creates, not being able to revert the system back.

Two examples of ransomware that have backups in its sights are SamSam and Ryuk. The US Department of Justice indicted two Iranians for using the SamSam malware to extort more than $30 million from over 200 victims. Ryuk, a script that deletes back up files, hit targets such as the Los Angeles Times and Data Resolution.

In her piece for CSO Online, Maria Korolov outlines 4 ways to protect your backup from being affected by ransomware:

🛑 To defend against ransomware that encrypts backups of files, use additional backups or third-part utilities that are not part of the default windows figuration.

🛑You can isolate the backup. The more barriers between an infected system and backups, the harder it will be for the ransomware to get to it.

🛑 Companies should keep multiple copies of important files and use at least two different backup methods.

🛑 Always make sure to test your backups. Companies find out their backups didn’t properly work after an attack has occurred.

Imagine living in a home with 🤖artificial intelligent smart robots doing daily household chores and providing faster network speeds.

Smart home appliances are just the tip of the iceberg. Home automation and AI will offer domestic help in new innovative ways during 2020, which will lead to faster networking; therefore, leaders can work remotely.

In his piece, Forbes, Bernard Marr highlights what we can expect to advance in an AI home in 2020:

🤖This year you will see AI tech such as face recognition becoming a feature of home recognition. This AI technique will save IT leaders time from typing in passwords/ logins to accounts and websites.

🤖 You can expect to see robots become advanced in a domestic manner. They promise a future where daily tasks can be carried out by machines allowing you to spend your valuable time on priorities. This gives IT Leaders the ability to work remotely and focus on their work routine rather than worry about 100 other things.

🤖 With the recent rollout of 5G, smart home devices will have more powerful networks, which will lead to better access to data on the cloud. The need for faster internet will make working remotely easier and your home an efficient environment to work from.

In recent years, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have tried to discourage businesses hit by ransomware from paying up, noting that it only encourages more attacks.

Brian Krebs lays out the implications of making these ransomware payments in his piece for Krebs on Security.

Insurance providers often help facilitate the ransom payments because the amount demanded ends up being less than what the insurer might have to pay to cover the cost of a business being out of commission for days or weeks.

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an advisory in October that said:

“… companies that facilitate ransomware payments to cyber actors on behalf of victims… not only encourage future ransomware payment demands but also may risk violating OFAC regulations.”

Those that run afoul of OFAC sanctions against cybercrime actors without the knowledge and approval from the Treasury can face several legal consequences.

To steer clear of unintentional sanction violations, it is important to find out from your current or future cyber insurance company what clearing processes are in place to determine the risk of certain payments violating OFAC policies.

There are companies run by average leaders, and then there are visionaries like Elon Musk, who inspire others to believe in big visions.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk offers words of wisdom that you, as a leader, can learn from.

The five leadership traits outlined below will help you to become an inspiring leader:

🗸 Be Obsessed and Obsessive: Many leaders will share a mindset to “just get it done.” Musk is obsessed with what he does. He devotes his time to shaping ideas. Be obsessed with what you do.

🗸 Love the Brand like a Religion: If you want others to love your brand, you must love it. Pour your heart into your work.

🗸 Transform your Industry by Doing the Impossible: Doing the impossible starts with a grand vision. Leaders who lack a vision can’t inspire a team. Always strive to go the extra mile.

🗸 Ignore the Vision Stealers and Dream Crushers: Musk is not swayed by those who doubt him. If you are told as a leader, you can’t do something, get back up, and prove everyone wrong.

🗸Be a Rare Breed in Your Industry: Don’t be an average company… Be a rare breed. Leading a company that doesn’t feel like the rest will allow you to set your brand up for success.

Step your game up. Be a difference-maker.